out. I’ve not dared drink more than a sip of it since.’
‘Then try only a sip of this.’
She rolled her slim shoulders then relaxed with a small laugh. ‘Okay, but if I don’t like it, don’t blame me.’
‘You will like it.’
The laugh she gave this time was louder and huskier. When he filled a third of the glass with the burgundy liquid, she shook her head and chided, ‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’
‘It is up to you how much of it you drink.’
Eyes locked on his, she picked the glass up and delicately sniffed the contents. Tonino found himself holding his breath as she put it to her delectable lips and took a sip. Long seconds passed before she swallowed.
‘Well?’ he asked. Orla was the first person unconnected to his business or the world of wine to try it.
‘It’s rank.’
‘Rank?’ The unfamiliar word did not strike him as complimentary.
‘Gross. Disgusting. So disgusting that I think I should try a bit more to reinforce just how gross it is.’ She put the glass back to her lips.
‘You’re playing with me,’ he accused.
The smile she bestowed him with was the most genuine she’d given him since their eyes had met in the cathedral. It dived straight into his chest and pierced it. She took another small drink, put the glass on the table and tilted her head to say softly, ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘So are you.’
Their eyes held. Something passed between them that sent his pulses soaring.
Only the arrival of the waiter at their table broke it. ‘Are you ready to order?’
WHEN ORLA TASTED her starter of cured salmon, crab and smoked roe all wrapped in the most delicate pancake, she thought she’d died and gone to heaven. When she took her first bite of her main course of aged fillet of Irish beef and the shiitake tart accompanying it, she decided that if this was heaven, she wanted to stay. If reaching heaven would allow her to drink Tonino’s wine without conking out, then even better. She hadn’t been joking when she called it beautiful. It was easily the most delicious wine she’d ever tasted, and she wished with all her heart that she could have more of it.
‘Were you not tempted to make the menu more Sicilian?’ she asked.
‘This hotel could not be more Irish,’ he said dryly. ‘I don’t think a Sicilian theme would work, do you?’
She shrugged. ‘I know nothing of hotels and restaurants. I was just curious. How many hotels do you own?’
‘Eighteen. I’m in the process of buying another on the Greek island of Agon. I’m flying there tomorrow to deal with some paperwork.’
‘You’re leaving tomorrow?’ That was not disappointment she felt.
‘First thing in the morning.’ He grinned. ‘Are you going to miss me?’
‘Like a migraine.’
His laughter filled her ears and sent a warm feeling trickling through her veins. ‘I was going to discuss this with you. I will be away for two days. That will give my staff enough time to set up a bedroom for Finn—when I return to Sicily I want Finn to come—’
‘That’s not possible,’ she interrupted. In less than a second, all the warmth in her veins had solidified into ice.
‘Why not?’ He asked it pleasantly enough, but she detected the underlying warning in his tone.
‘It’s too soon. He has medication and…’
‘There is nothing he has here that he cannot have in Sicily provided we prepare well for it. It will only be for a week.’
‘Only a week?’ she echoed faintly. Was it her imagination or were the restaurant’s stone walls starting to blur and spin? As much as she was enjoying this meal, being apart from Finn for an evening felt as if she’d had a limb removed. How was she supposed to cope for a whole week without him?
‘Sì. I can clear my schedule for a week so Finn and I can get to know each other but then my schedule is packed with appointments that cannot be rearranged,’ he continued as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘The weekend after that my parents are hosting a party for all the family to meet my sister’s new baby—’
‘Giulia had another baby?’ Orla interrupted again, startled, remembering that four years ago Tonino had been excited for the forthcoming birth of Giulia’s first child.
‘She had a baby girl last week.’
‘You never said.’
He shrugged. ‘We have had other things to talk about, dolcezza.’
‘I know, but a new baby is something to celebrate.’ Orla had nearly hit the roof in excitement when Aislin told her she was pregnant.
‘And it will be. The party is a good opportunity to introduce Finn to everyone. There will be lots of small children for him to play with including my other nieces and nephews.’
‘How many do you have now?’ she asked faintly. He’d spun her on the dance floor to face his family while he rebuked her for keeping Finn from them, but that had been the only time since their lives had collided back together that he’d mentioned them.
‘Five in total.’
Feeling another headache starting to form, Orla rubbed her temples. ‘I don’t know if the nurses will be able to travel at such short notice.’
‘There are private nurses in Sicily. It will be easy to arrange. Which brings me to my next point—the funding of Finn’s medical care.’
‘Dante pays for anything not covered by our healthcare system.’
‘I thought as much.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘How did you fund it before you found him?’
‘We didn’t. It’s what made us seek Dante out in the first place.’ She took a deep breath and tried to get the panic under control. How could she let Tonino take Finn to Sicily? It was too soon. She wasn’t ready to let him go. ‘When his father—my father—died, Aislin and I were skint. The insurance company was fighting over any pay-out from the accident. Aislin convinced me I was entitled to some of my father’s estate. Neither of us knew he’d gambled most of his wealth away. Once Dante learned about me and Finn he became our knight in shining armour. Before he stepped in, Aislin and I were basically on our own.’
Thinking about the large number of Irish guests at Aislin and Dante’s wedding, Tonino found this hard to believe. ‘What about the rest of your family?’
‘Spectacularly useless.’ She rolled
